Technology Summer Analyst Review

I have had a really good time as an intern with J.P. Morgan. I have been provided with clear instructions on what I should deliver in terms of summer project and the project itself proved to be challenging enough to sharpen my programming skills and to gain important financial knowledge.

All my colleagues helped me whenever I was needing help, i.e. when I specifically asked them for help. They also made sure I was on the right path with my project by reviewing my work every so often. I was also involved in helping some of my colleagues that were working on similar tasks which was a really good experience to have during my internship.

My supervisor proved to be the one that helped me the most throughout my internship. I had meetings every 1-2 days, and I was being given the right amount of information I needed every time. I have always been provided with additional comments on what I should change to improve the current state of the project and how I should implement the changes to be the most effective, which was really helpful.

I think that throughout my internship I was fairly busy, although it took me some time to find the right balance to structure the project to suit both my preferences and my team's needs. I would say that there is a small room of improvement here after all, but I think the overall impression is that there is a good balance as long as you try to find that for yourself.

My responsibilities were fairly demanding, keeping me busy for the most part of my internship. I would have like to be given even more tasks because I had the feeling that I could have solved a bit more but I was not. Overall a good amount of responsibilities, with the possibility of adding a bit more so I'd suggest that you ask for more straight away if you feel like you can handle more.

I learned a new programming language during this internship and I've been provided with the opportunity to learn about a new testing framework which I am sure I will be using in the future too. I also learned bits about the financial world which I'm not so sure when or if I'll be applying them too often from now on, but overall I am satisfied with the amount of things I learned.

The office atmosphere was mostly alright, although for someone who prefers to work in a more silent environment it takes a while to adapt here because there are generally a lot of people talking around you (conferences etc.) and unfortunately there is no way to change this. Just have a good playlist and a pair of headset to plug in whenever there is too much noise nearby.

I think my team managed to organise things pretty neatly for me in terms of set up even before I joined them in June. There were a few moments though when I felt there is a small room for improvement here , but the overall impression is that is a well organised place. I would suggest to raise anything with your manager straight away if you think things are a little bit off what you expect.

JP Morgan is a very big company so there are tons and tons of employment prospects. For technology in particular I personally found opportunities in equities, commodities, FX, risk management etc. In addition, you are encouraged to switch teams after a while and it is not uncommon that people change departments too. So generally one can find whatever sort of project he/she is into.

All the interns (technology, OPs, markets) I talked to were generally very talkative so you could have a chat with pretty much anyone. In addition, there were many jokes so the spirit was really good. From this point of view, this is one of the best places to work if you are a socialable person and enjoy having fun from time to time.

I worked in London so prices are all but cheap. However, JP makes sure that rent is covered by the generous salary so even though the rent is expensive, the salary makes it up. London is a very sociable city though, so from this point of view you won't feel like you miss anything. I did not leave nearby work so I had long journeys to make, but I would recommend those that want to save money on rent to get a place in zone 3/4.

JP Morgan is a very big company so there are always plenty of opportunities to get involved in outside of work activities. In addition, as an intern you will be required to be volunteer to a a charity event so either way you get involved in some of these volunteering activities. In the summer there is a 5.6 km running contests where all major corporate join (all other banks, Google etc.) so for those who love running this is a really good opportunity.